Some brilliant replies! Detailingworld.co.uk comes highly recommended for any questions.
There are some brilliant guides here,
Polished Bliss. I have a formidable collection of cleaning products, but all generic off the shelf stuff - I only grabbed some good stuff recently.
I cleaned my car recently...Washing the car, strangely enough, Tesco's Pink Car Shampoo gets a MASSIVE thumbs up from the cleaning world. For the price of it, it definitely produces good results. I've got Autoglym Shampoo and Conditioner and don't really like it - not many suds and doesn't feel like its doing anything, even when mixed very rich.
Depending on the state of the paint, your going to need to go through a pretty thorough routine. I clayed my car for the first time the other day, and it is DEFINITELY recommended, the feel of the paint is unbelievable. Following some advice, I get the Meguairs Quik Clay Kit as its easy to work for beginners and not very abrasive.
For polish, Autoglym SRP gets the best reviews for
hand polishing. If there is swirl marks, deep scratches or marring - your going to need a more abrasive polish, such as Farecla G3 cutting compound or Meguairs #86. They take a bit of practice and getting used to - so try to practice on a spare panel or somewhere discreet.
For wax, Collinite get the best rep for long lasting and hard wearing but it won't necessarily provide the best deepest shine. I've used the cheap Turtle waxes and don't make much of it - and it has a lot of dust. The Meguairs 3 stage doesn't actually get raving reviews among the detailing world - its good, but you can get a better mix of products that bond better with each other and produce a better finish.
For wheel cleaning - use a stiff brush, try and avoid very acidic/alkaline cleaners as they can damage the lacquer or chrome finishes. Old clay can be used to dissolve tar spots and clean up the wheels (and windows!).
In terms of apparatus you need, jump down to B&Q and get 2 buckets. You'll need a nice deep pile lambswool washmit to stop scratch and swirl marks that a sponge usually creates. And when you're applying polish - a damp sponge is what you use. For wax, use a damp cotton cloth wrapped into a ball. For buffing off both you're best using a Microfibre towel - same stuff you use to dry the car. I cheaped out and bought a bag of 20 microfibre towels for about £5 from my local wholesaler, 3 towels dry the entire car bone dry. Then I use a towel to dry quick detailer, buff off wax and polish.
Blah blah blah - I could go on all day, but everyone is going to have their own opinion of what to get, but the combination of products I use tends to get a good review from detailer's for adhesion and finish. I use, Farecla G3 (only for deep scratches), Meguairs Quik Clay kit, Autoglym SRP, Collinite 476s - I bought all mine off eBay (seemed to be the best prices), the seller
Detailed Obsession got me my stuff next day with a little letter explaining how to get the best results out of a product - was well chuffed.